


Eternity's Past

by WHRoseGarden (JoAryn)



Series: Eternity (JAG - incomplete) [1]
Category: JAG
Genre: F/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-22
Updated: 2012-10-22
Packaged: 2017-11-16 20:12:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/543380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoAryn/pseuds/WHRoseGarden
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harm and Mac meet as teens . . .</p>
            </blockquote>





	Eternity's Past

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written as the first part of a series called Eternity, but I never posted any other parts of the series. DPB owns JAG and all associated characters. I just borrowed them for a short time. I make no money from their use and return them in their original condition.

Title: Eternity's Past

Author: WHRoseGarden (abaileymd@yahoo.com)

Spoilers: any and all episodes are possible, but highly unlikely.

Catagory: R

Rating: VL/BS

Summary: Harmon Rabb, Jr. and Sarah MacKenzie in past, present and future.

Part I -- Lazy J

3:20pm Mountain  
Mid-May, 1980  
Eastern Arizona/Western New Mexico

Seventeen-year-old Harmon Rabb, Jr. sat scowling in the back seat of the Chrysler as it labored across the barren landscape of Arizona. The mountains had been interesting enough, but now the land had smoothed into a dusty, dry and utterly dull desert. Harm didn't care. He didn't want to be on the trip in the first place; they could have been passing monoliths of ruby and diamond and he wouldn't have cared. A two-week vacation to a 'dude ranch' in New Mexico was not his idea of a good time.

Harm had been planning on lounging the summer away on the public beaches around La Jolla, but his mother had nixed that idea. In no uncertain terms she had announced the trip. He really wished she'd give up on trying to reconcile Frank and him. The man was his stepfather; he didn't want him in his life any more than he had to be. But here he was, riding along in the hot, sticky back seat while his mom and Frank chatted about all the different things they were going to do at the ranch.

Two hours later, he was dozing lightly when his mother gave an excited yelp, dragging him unceremoniously into the present. They were just about to drive under a wooden arch with a tilted 'J' in a circle at its center. He guessed that meant that they had finally arrived at the Lazy Jay Ranch. Sure enough, after another fifteen minutes, the car pulled to a stop in the middle of a semi-circle of wooden buildings.

Eager to escape the confines of the car, Harm quickly exited, then stood looking around uncertainly. As Frank and his mother a-lighted, the quintessential American cowboy strolled out of a building Harm took to be a barn.

"Howdy. You must be the Burnett party." Frank nodded even as Harm grimaced. When had he become a 'Burnett' rather than a Rabb? He slouched sullenly against the car as Frank and the cowboy talked. Finally, the cowboy turned to lead them to their rooms for the duration of their stay.

 

11:20am Mountain  
Two days later  
Lazy J Ranch, Arizona

Harm scuffed his new boots in the dirt as he wandered across the yard towards the barn. He was set on not enjoying this vacation no matter what and he'd been reasonably successful in avoiding almost every activity offered. Unfortunately, his efforts left him hot, bored and lonely. His mother and Frank had gone into town for lunch, but he'd begged off with a headache. Instead he was wandering aimlessly around the main buildings looking for something to do.

Out in the pasture, he could see a number of horses dozing in the scant shade of a few cottonwoods. He pulled himself up on the fence and rested his head on his hands. The horses here were much different from those at Andy's. Those horses were sleek, shiny beasts build for speed. The ones he now watched had scruffy coats in funny colors and short, stocky legs like a cow. But they were still tranquil, standing idly beneath the trees, flicking tails and ears and occationally stomping a hoof.

Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, he turned. A girl walked out of the shade of the barn towards the horses. As she approached a brown and white spotted one, one hand was extended towards the horse while her other was curled behind her back, holding a rope. The horse lifted its head slightly and stretched its neck towards her. The girl stopped and the horse took a few reluctant steps before thrusting his nose into her hand. Quickly, she had the rope over the horse's head.

As she disappeared back into the barn, Harm wondered who she was. Although he had been avoiding people, but he didn't recall there being anyone even close to his age. Curious, he slipped in the side door of the barn and stood quietly, waiting for his eyes to adjust. Finally, he saw the horse standing between two chains. The girl was talking quietly as she brushed him.

For several minutes Harm stood still. Even in the dim light of the barn, he could see she was pretty. Her dark hair was pulled up off her neck in a short ponytail and her arms and legs showed a nice tan. It didn't hurt that she was well-toned and slim. He moved to perch on a stack of straw bales, but the rustling must have caught the girl's attention as she abruptly turned and looked at him.

"Who's there?"

"Uh, sorry. I was bored, so I was just wandering around." He walked into the aisle way where the overhead lights hung.

"You shouldn't be in the barn. There's a lot of stuff you could get hurt on."

"My friend back at home has horses, I've been in barns before." She frowned at him and returned to grooming the horse. "What's your name?" Harm asked, hoping to strike up a conversation.

"Who wants to know?"

"Well, I'm Harmon Rabb, but most people call me Harm. My mom and my step-dad are here for vacation." He leaned against the partition dividing the aisle from the stalls.

"Oh. I'm Sarah." She didn't look at him and her tone was final. Harm rolled his eyes. She certainly wasn't very friendly. After a minute or two he sighed and wandered back into the sun-baked yard. Deciding it was too hot to hang around outside, he headed for the common room in the main house. There was a large cabinet filled with games and he dug out a pack of cards for playing solitaire.

He'd gotten half way through a game when he realized someone was watching him. He turned and was surprised to see that it was the girl from the barn. She gave him a shy smile. "Hi."

"Uh, hi." His brow puckered, wondering why she was there.

"I'm sorry I was rude in the barn." Her words were flat and clipped, but not without emotion. "I didn't expect anyone to be around."

"I didn't mean to disturb you." He stood courteously.

"It's ok. I'm Sarah MacKenzie, or Mac. I work here." She stuck out a hand and Harm shook it.

"I'm Harm Rabb." He smiled, hoping his grin would have the same affect on Sarah that it did on girls back in California. It appeared to have some effect because Sarah responded with a real smile. "How old are you?"

"15. You?" Sarah decided that she liked his smile, though she suspected that he knew full well how to use it to his advantage.

"17. Are you in high school?"

"Yeah, I'm going to be a junior. Are you going to college?" Sarah couldn't wait to graduate high school so she could go to college and get out her house.

"Yeah, I'm entering the US Naval Academy in Anapolis this summer." Sarah frowned slightly.

"Oh." She'd grown up around a Marine Corps base and wasn't too sure how she liked military men. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to be a Naval aviator." His grin was back, wider than before, and she could hear the pride in his voice. He certainly was sure of himself.

"Why?"

"My dad flew for the Navy. I've always wanted to fly." Sarah caught a shadow drift over his expression and his bright eyes seemed to dim a little. But then he shrugged and it was gone.

"Um, you want to meet Tiny? He's the horse I was grooming. He's only a baby, so he's still being trained, but he's really sweet." That was really the reason she'd come in here, company. It was lonely being the only teenager on the ranch and she could hardly believe she'd been so dumb as to drive him off when he'd tried to talk to her.

"Sure." Together, they walked back out to the barn where the pinto still stood quietly. They both picked up brushes and worked on opposite sides. Tiny seemed to enjoy the attention, while Harm and Sarah enjoyed their conversation. They talked about high school and Harm told her about his childhood. She stared at him in surprise when he told her that a year ago, he'd been in Laos for the summer, looking for his dad.

"I guess you don't like your step-dad very much."

"He's alright, I guess. I mean, he's nice and all, but he's not my dad. I wish Mom would stop trying to make us spend time together." He scowled. "That's why we're here, for 'quality time' before I go to college."

"Is that why you're here instead of in town with everybody else?"

"Yeah. I could have been happy hanging out on the beach at home and seeing my friends, but no. At least they can't force me to have fun."

"That's stupid." He stared at her, agog at her blunt statement. Just who did Sarah MacKenzie think she was?

"What?!?"

"It's stupid. You're here, your mom and Frank are having a good time, you're not going home anytime soon. You don't have to do what they do, but why make yourself miserable? You're the only one you're hurting."

"You sound like my Grandma."

"She sounds like a smart lady." He smiled briefly, but then frowned again. "There's a trail ride tomorrow, you should come."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Mom and Frank are going."

"So? You don't have to ride with them. You can ride by me." She grinned. Sarah didn't really like the long scenic trail rides; they were ridden at a walk and no one ever talked to her. But if Harm came, they could maybe talk and make the time pass quicker. Maybe if he was a good rider, she'd be able to talk Jake if they could go on a private trail ride. She'd been wanting to take one all summer, but there had to be at least two people and no one else wanted to go.

 

2:00pm Mountain  
Next day  
Lazy J ranch

Sarah worked industriously at currying the dust from Rio's dark coat. She loved working around the horses all summer and was grateful to her uncle for finding the job. Just about anything was better than home, but she liked horses and the freedom riding gave her. Out on the range, she could feel all her worries slipping away as the animal moved gracefully over the terrain. Unfortunately, right now, she was stuck in the barn tacking up horses for a trail ride. Worse, she'd actually have to go on the ride, situated in the middle of a long line of city slickers who were more worried about whether or not their shirt matched the saddle pad than the gorgeous desert around them. Since Harm seemed intent on being miserable, she doubted he would come.

She sighed as she firmly cinched the saddle in place. Maybe something interesting would happen on this ride. Even as she considered it, she laughed at herself. The most that ever happened on a trail ride was some cowboy wannabe would pay more attention to his camera's view finder than where they were going and get himself dumped beside the trail when his horse turned. Just once she wished Handy would spook at a shadow and she could chase him down or something.

Ten minutes later when she led four reluctant horses into the corral, she was pleasantly surprised to see Harm amongst the waiting riders. Apparently he'd decided to listen to her, after all. As luck would have it, he was assigned Kite, the third horse she was holding. Leading Kite and Thorny over to him, she proceeded to explain how to get on and stay on a horse. After checking Kite's cinch, she held Kite so he could try to climb aboard.

To her delite, he swung up easily. He ruined it by grinning smugly at her. Smiling to herself, Sarah quickly turned to Thorny to do a last minute tack check before mounting up. Harm was too cute for his own good with his dark hair and sparkling blue eyes.

They'd been on the trail for about an hour and a half. Sarah knew from experience that a lot of guests were going to have sore bums the next day. She laughed quietly, wondering what they'd do if they had to trot. Harm turned to look at her grinning. "What?" They'd manage to carry on a sporatic conversation as the trail didn't always allow for riding abreast.

"Just wondering how you city slickers would handle trotting." The trail widened as it flattened out in the bottom of an arroyo and Harm reined back so he was beside her.

"I'd be fine. I'm not so sure about the rest of the tourists. I don't think Frank's ever been on a horse and I know it's been a while for Mom."

"Kinda what I figured. That's why we don't schedule trail rides everyday -- everyone would be so sore, they'd never get on a horse again!" She cocked her head slightly, regarding him. She noticed that he had a good, solid seat and soft hands. Whoever taught him to ride had done a good job. "You're a good rider."

Harm grinned, but then sobered. "I learned to ride when I was pretty young. My mother loved riding, and the Naval base had a stable, so she made sure I had lessons. But she hasn't really ridden since Dad went missing. When we move to La Jolla to live with Frank, I was 11. One of the guys at school had horses and after we got to be friends I rode with him a lot. Still do, when we have time. He likes showing, though, so I just hack around while he trains."

"Maybe Jake'll let me take you on a trail sometime. He lets more experienced riders go out on longer, more challenging rides if they want, as long as they have a partner. I've wanted to go on one all summer. We could ride almost to the Reservation if we wanted."

He flashed a grin at her. "Could we meet any of your family?" She'd mentioned having some Cherokee in her family while talking and he decided to rib her about it.

"Watch it, you almost look like you're having fun." Sarah decided to ignore his comment about her family.

"What if I am?" He grinned again, but had to turn his attention to Kite as the trail led down a slight, but rocky slope.

"I'd say you finally wised up."

"You helped, Mac." He caught the big smile that spread across her face as he used the nickname. "You prefer 'Mac?'"

"Yeah. My friends at school used it." She smiled in a quiet way and Harm knew her mind was far away from the dusty trail. She'd told him a little about her home life and he hoped it wasn't something about that. He didn't understand how a parent could use the words she'd mentioned, or how a mother could leave her child in the care of a guy like Mac's father. He supposed he didn't have to understand it all, as long as he could support Mac. Knowing why someone did something, didn't make them stop, but support could make it easier to bear.

Three days later, they were riding side by side again, but without the escort of the entire ranch. They weren't alone, however, as Trish had insisted that two teenagers needed a chaperone. So Jim, one of the hands, made the third member of the small party. Their trail, by design, headed towards the Reservation, as Jim had family there and he was young enough to know that his presence wasn't exactly appreciated.

The three rode up to the wood frame house where Jim's sister lived. Two small children were playing in the dusty yard and ran, yelling, into the house as the riders dismounted. A young woman, about 25, appeared on the porch and welcomed them in. She showed them into the cool, shady kitchen and poured lemonade. Jim introduced the teens to his sister, Gia, then spoke briefly to her in a language Harm didn't recognize. Mac whispered to him that she thought it was Navajo, or a related language, because of all the vowel sounds. Whatever it was, Gia presented Harm and Mac with a picnic basket and described a nice path that stopped by a spring. 

Deciding that the horses were fine where they were, Harm took the basket and they set off down the trail. 45 minutes later, they came around an outcropping of rock to find the spring. It was little more than a muddy pit at the base of a cliff, but it was shadowed by two trees that seemed to grow half out of the rock face of the cliff. They ate the lunch Gia had packed and talked. They didn't have any particular topic, just their lives in general. Harm told her about his father being MIA and Mac told him about her mother's departure.

@>\---\\---,-----

During the next week, Harm and Mac were nearly inseparable, participating together in almost every activity when she wasn't working with the horses and Harm observing from the fence while she was. On the day before he was due to leave, Harm joined his mother and step-father on a trip to town while Mac was working. He made a small effort to be hospitable to Frank and actually enjoyed their trip to the ice cream parlor, but spent most of the time alone, browsing the shops for gift for his new friend.

At the end of every two week session, a bonfire cookout was scheduled. Harm and Mac took the opportunity of the darkness and placed themselves a little way from the others.

"Mac, uh, here." He thrust out the gift. "You, ah, thanks for helping me enjoy my vacation." He was glad it was dark so she couldn't see his blush.

"Thanks." She laughed quietly, digging out a small package herself.

"I guess we kind of had the same idea." Together they opened the presents. Harm had found a silversmith in town that would engrave anything you wanted and had him engrave two matching conchos with an airplane. Mac had found him a beautiful leather-bound journal with dueling mustangs embossed on the cover.

"Wow, thank you!" Mac grinned so widely Harm could see her teeth even in the dark.

"You're welcome, and thank you." He smiled at her and she leaned over to hug him. As she drew back, their eyes met and without any actual thought, they kissed. It was soft, innocent and brief. Harm sat back, not entirely sure how it had happened. "I, uh, I'm sorry . . ."

He could just see her soft smile. "It's ok, it was a pretty mutual thing. Besides, you'd know if I hadn't liked it." He nodded, relieved. He knew plenty of girls back at home, but Mac was the first girl he'd really been friend friends with. He didn't want to ruin that with his teenage hormones. But her smile put him at ease. "I'm gonna miss having you around."

"Yeah, it's been pretty fun. Maybe if you have a chance you can visit La Jolla or Annapolis sometime."

Mac laughed, "If I do it'll be the first time I've been out of the Four Corner's area."

"Well, try --"

"Harmon?" They turned toward the call. It was his mother and he sighed. They scrambled to their feet.

"Coming, Mom." He turned back to Mac. "Sorry. I guess it's about time to head in."

"Yeah."

"We're leaving tomorrow morning, after breakfast."

"I -- I have to work." She looked away. "I guess, goodbye?"

"Yeah, I guess. Goodbye, Mac." He wrapped her in a bear hug that almost lifted her off her feet and she laughed. Then his mom called again and he set her down, turning to go.

"Goodbye, Harm." She stayed in the dark as he walked off. She wasn't ready to head back into company yet.

@>\---\\---,-----

An hour after breakfast the next morning, his mom and Frank were ready to go. Harm lugged his duffle out to the car and looked around the yard. He didn't see Mac around. He'd kind of hoped she try to see him off, but he knew they'd said their goodbyes the night before.

Sighing, he threw his bag in the trunk and climbed in the back seat. As the car rolled down the drive toward the main road, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep. He didn't see Mac, mounted on Tiny, watching as they drove away.  
Title: Eternity's Past

Author: WHRoseGarden (abaileymd@yahoo.com)

Spoilers: any and all episodes are possible, but highly unlikely.

Catagory: R

Rating: VL/BS

Summary: Harmon Rabb, Jr. and Sarah MacKenzie in past, present and future.

Part I -- Lazy J

3:20pm Mountain  
Mid-May, 1980  
Eastern Arizona/Western New Mexico

Seventeen-year-old Harmon Rabb, Jr. sat scowling in the back seat of the Chrysler as it labored across the barren landscape of Arizona. The mountains had been interesting enough, but now the land had smoothed into a dusty, dry and utterly dull desert. Harm didn't care. He didn't want to be on the trip in the first place; they could have been passing monoliths of ruby and diamond and he wouldn't have cared. A two-week vacation to a 'dude ranch' in New Mexico was not his idea of a good time.

Harm had been planning on lounging the summer away on the public beaches around La Jolla, but his mother had nixed that idea. In no uncertain terms she had announced the trip. He really wished she'd give up on trying to reconcile Frank and him. The man was his stepfather; he didn't want him in his life any more than he had to be. But here he was, riding along in the hot, sticky back seat while his mom and Frank chatted about all the different things they were going to do at the ranch.

Two hours later, he was dozing lightly when his mother gave an excited yelp, dragging him unceremoniously into the present. They were just about to drive under a wooden arch with a tilted 'J' in a circle at its center. He guessed that meant that they had finally arrived at the Lazy Jay Ranch. Sure enough, after another fifteen minutes, the car pulled to a stop in the middle of a semi-circle of wooden buildings.

Eager to escape the confines of the car, Harm quickly exited, then stood looking around uncertainly. As Frank and his mother a-lighted, the quintessential American cowboy strolled out of a building Harm took to be a barn.

"Howdy. You must be the Burnett party." Frank nodded even as Harm grimaced. When had he become a 'Burnett' rather than a Rabb? He slouched sullenly against the car as Frank and the cowboy talked. Finally, the cowboy turned to lead them to their rooms for the duration of their stay.

 

11:20am Mountain  
Two days later  
Lazy J Ranch, Arizona

Harm scuffed his new boots in the dirt as he wandered across the yard towards the barn. He was set on not enjoying this vacation no matter what and he'd been reasonably successful in avoiding almost every activity offered. Unfortunately, his efforts left him hot, bored and lonely. His mother and Frank had gone into town for lunch, but he'd begged off with a headache. Instead he was wandering aimlessly around the main buildings looking for something to do.

Out in the pasture, he could see a number of horses dozing in the scant shade of a few cottonwoods. He pulled himself up on the fence and rested his head on his hands. The horses here were much different from those at Andy's. Those horses were sleek, shiny beasts build for speed. The ones he now watched had scruffy coats in funny colors and short, stocky legs like a cow. But they were still tranquil, standing idly beneath the trees, flicking tails and ears and occationally stomping a hoof.

Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, he turned. A girl walked out of the shade of the barn towards the horses. As she approached a brown and white spotted one, one hand was extended towards the horse while her other was curled behind her back, holding a rope. The horse lifted its head slightly and stretched its neck towards her. The girl stopped and the horse took a few reluctant steps before thrusting his nose into her hand. Quickly, she had the rope over the horse's head.

As she disappeared back into the barn, Harm wondered who she was. Although he had been avoiding people, but he didn't recall there being anyone even close to his age. Curious, he slipped in the side door of the barn and stood quietly, waiting for his eyes to adjust. Finally, he saw the horse standing between two chains. The girl was talking quietly as she brushed him.

For several minutes Harm stood still. Even in the dim light of the barn, he could see she was pretty. Her dark hair was pulled up off her neck in a short ponytail and her arms and legs showed a nice tan. It didn't hurt that she was well-toned and slim. He moved to perch on a stack of straw bales, but the rustling must have caught the girl's attention as she abruptly turned and looked at him.

"Who's there?"

"Uh, sorry. I was bored, so I was just wandering around." He walked into the aisle way where the overhead lights hung.

"You shouldn't be in the barn. There's a lot of stuff you could get hurt on."

"My friend back at home has horses, I've been in barns before." She frowned at him and returned to grooming the horse. "What's your name?" Harm asked, hoping to strike up a conversation.

"Who wants to know?"

"Well, I'm Harmon Rabb, but most people call me Harm. My mom and my step-dad are here for vacation." He leaned against the partition dividing the aisle from the stalls.

"Oh. I'm Sarah." She didn't look at him and her tone was final. Harm rolled his eyes. She certainly wasn't very friendly. After a minute or two he sighed and wandered back into the sun-baked yard. Deciding it was too hot to hang around outside, he headed for the common room in the main house. There was a large cabinet filled with games and he dug out a pack of cards for playing solitaire.

He'd gotten half way through a game when he realized someone was watching him. He turned and was surprised to see that it was the girl from the barn. She gave him a shy smile. "Hi."

"Uh, hi." His brow puckered, wondering why she was there.

"I'm sorry I was rude in the barn." Her words were flat and clipped, but not without emotion. "I didn't expect anyone to be around."

"I didn't mean to disturb you." He stood courteously.

"It's ok. I'm Sarah MacKenzie, or Mac. I work here." She stuck out a hand and Harm shook it.

"I'm Harm Rabb." He smiled, hoping his grin would have the same affect on Sarah that it did on girls back in California. It appeared to have some effect because Sarah responded with a real smile. "How old are you?"

"15. You?" Sarah decided that she liked his smile, though she suspected that he knew full well how to use it to his advantage.

"17. Are you in high school?"

"Yeah, I'm going to be a junior. Are you going to college?" Sarah couldn't wait to graduate high school so she could go to college and get out her house.

"Yeah, I'm entering the US Naval Academy in Anapolis this summer." Sarah frowned slightly.

"Oh." She'd grown up around a Marine Corps base and wasn't too sure how she liked military men. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to be a Naval aviator." His grin was back, wider than before, and she could hear the pride in his voice. He certainly was sure of himself.

"Why?"

"My dad flew for the Navy. I've always wanted to fly." Sarah caught a shadow drift over his expression and his bright eyes seemed to dim a little. But then he shrugged and it was gone.

"Um, you want to meet Tiny? He's the horse I was grooming. He's only a baby, so he's still being trained, but he's really sweet." That was really the reason she'd come in here, company. It was lonely being the only teenager on the ranch and she could hardly believe she'd been so dumb as to drive him off when he'd tried to talk to her.

"Sure." Together, they walked back out to the barn where the pinto still stood quietly. They both picked up brushes and worked on opposite sides. Tiny seemed to enjoy the attention, while Harm and Sarah enjoyed their conversation. They talked about high school and Harm told her about his childhood. She stared at him in surprise when he told her that a year ago, he'd been in Laos for the summer, looking for his dad.

"I guess you don't like your step-dad very much."

"He's alright, I guess. I mean, he's nice and all, but he's not my dad. I wish Mom would stop trying to make us spend time together." He scowled. "That's why we're here, for 'quality time' before I go to college."

"Is that why you're here instead of in town with everybody else?"

"Yeah. I could have been happy hanging out on the beach at home and seeing my friends, but no. At least they can't force me to have fun."

"That's stupid." He stared at her, agog at her blunt statement. Just who did Sarah MacKenzie think she was?

"What?!?"

"It's stupid. You're here, your mom and Frank are having a good time, you're not going home anytime soon. You don't have to do what they do, but why make yourself miserable? You're the only one you're hurting."

"You sound like my Grandma."

"She sounds like a smart lady." He smiled briefly, but then frowned again. "There's a trail ride tomorrow, you should come."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Mom and Frank are going."

"So? You don't have to ride with them. You can ride by me." She grinned. Sarah didn't really like the long scenic trail rides; they were ridden at a walk and no one ever talked to her. But if Harm came, they could maybe talk and make the time pass quicker. Maybe if he was a good rider, she'd be able to talk Jake if they could go on a private trail ride. She'd been wanting to take one all summer, but there had to be at least two people and no one else wanted to go.

 

2:00pm Mountain  
Next day  
Lazy J ranch

Sarah worked industriously at currying the dust from Rio's dark coat. She loved working around the horses all summer and was grateful to her uncle for finding the job. Just about anything was better than home, but she liked horses and the freedom riding gave her. Out on the range, she could feel all her worries slipping away as the animal moved gracefully over the terrain. Unfortunately, right now, she was stuck in the barn tacking up horses for a trail ride. Worse, she'd actually have to go on the ride, situated in the middle of a long line of city slickers who were more worried about whether or not their shirt matched the saddle pad than the gorgeous desert around them. Since Harm seemed intent on being miserable, she doubted he would come.

She sighed as she firmly cinched the saddle in place. Maybe something interesting would happen on this ride. Even as she considered it, she laughed at herself. The most that ever happened on a trail ride was some cowboy wannabe would pay more attention to his camera's view finder than where they were going and get himself dumped beside the trail when his horse turned. Just once she wished Handy would spook at a shadow and she could chase him down or something.

Ten minutes later when she led four reluctant horses into the corral, she was pleasantly surprised to see Harm amongst the waiting riders. Apparently he'd decided to listen to her, after all. As luck would have it, he was assigned Kite, the third horse she was holding. Leading Kite and Thorny over to him, she proceeded to explain how to get on and stay on a horse. After checking Kite's cinch, she held Kite so he could try to climb aboard.

To her delite, he swung up easily. He ruined it by grinning smugly at her. Smiling to herself, Sarah quickly turned to Thorny to do a last minute tack check before mounting up. Harm was too cute for his own good with his dark hair and sparkling blue eyes.

They'd been on the trail for about an hour and a half. Sarah knew from experience that a lot of guests were going to have sore bums the next day. She laughed quietly, wondering what they'd do if they had to trot. Harm turned to look at her grinning. "What?" They'd manage to carry on a sporatic conversation as the trail didn't always allow for riding abreast.

"Just wondering how you city slickers would handle trotting." The trail widened as it flattened out in the bottom of an arroyo and Harm reined back so he was beside her.

"I'd be fine. I'm not so sure about the rest of the tourists. I don't think Frank's ever been on a horse and I know it's been a while for Mom."

"Kinda what I figured. That's why we don't schedule trail rides everyday -- everyone would be so sore, they'd never get on a horse again!" She cocked her head slightly, regarding him. She noticed that he had a good, solid seat and soft hands. Whoever taught him to ride had done a good job. "You're a good rider."

Harm grinned, but then sobered. "I learned to ride when I was pretty young. My mother loved riding, and the Naval base had a stable, so she made sure I had lessons. But she hasn't really ridden since Dad went missing. When we move to La Jolla to live with Frank, I was 11. One of the guys at school had horses and after we got to be friends I rode with him a lot. Still do, when we have time. He likes showing, though, so I just hack around while he trains."

"Maybe Jake'll let me take you on a trail sometime. He lets more experienced riders go out on longer, more challenging rides if they want, as long as they have a partner. I've wanted to go on one all summer. We could ride almost to the Reservation if we wanted."

He flashed a grin at her. "Could we meet any of your family?" She'd mentioned having some Cherokee in her family while talking and he decided to rib her about it.

"Watch it, you almost look like you're having fun." Sarah decided to ignore his comment about her family.

"What if I am?" He grinned again, but had to turn his attention to Kite as the trail led down a slight, but rocky slope.

"I'd say you finally wised up."

"You helped, Mac." He caught the big smile that spread across her face as he used the nickname. "You prefer 'Mac?'"

"Yeah. My friends at school used it." She smiled in a quiet way and Harm knew her mind was far away from the dusty trail. She'd told him a little about her home life and he hoped it wasn't something about that. He didn't understand how a parent could use the words she'd mentioned, or how a mother could leave her child in the care of a guy like Mac's father. He supposed he didn't have to understand it all, as long as he could support Mac. Knowing why someone did something, didn't make them stop, but support could make it easier to bear.

Three days later, they were riding side by side again, but without the escort of the entire ranch. They weren't alone, however, as Trish had insisted that two teenagers needed a chaperone. So Jim, one of the hands, made the third member of the small party. Their trail, by design, headed towards the Reservation, as Jim had family there and he was young enough to know that his presence wasn't exactly appreciated.

The three rode up to the wood frame house where Jim's sister lived. Two small children were playing in the dusty yard and ran, yelling, into the house as the riders dismounted. A young woman, about 25, appeared on the porch and welcomed them in. She showed them into the cool, shady kitchen and poured lemonade. Jim introduced the teens to his sister, Gia, then spoke briefly to her in a language Harm didn't recognize. Mac whispered to him that she thought it was Navajo, or a related language, because of all the vowel sounds. Whatever it was, Gia presented Harm and Mac with a picnic basket and described a nice path that stopped by a spring. 

Deciding that the horses were fine where they were, Harm took the basket and they set off down the trail. 45 minutes later, they came around an outcropping of rock to find the spring. It was little more than a muddy pit at the base of a cliff, but it was shadowed by two trees that seemed to grow half out of the rock face of the cliff. They ate the lunch Gia had packed and talked. They didn't have any particular topic, just their lives in general. Harm told her about his father being MIA and Mac told him about her mother's departure.

@>\---\\---,-----

During the next week, Harm and Mac were nearly inseparable, participating together in almost every activity when she wasn't working with the horses and Harm observing from the fence while she was. On the day before he was due to leave, Harm joined his mother and step-father on a trip to town while Mac was working. He made a small effort to be hospitable to Frank and actually enjoyed their trip to the ice cream parlor, but spent most of the time alone, browsing the shops for gift for his new friend.

At the end of every two week session, a bonfire cookout was scheduled. Harm and Mac took the opportunity of the darkness and placed themselves a little way from the others.

"Mac, uh, here." He thrust out the gift. "You, ah, thanks for helping me enjoy my vacation." He was glad it was dark so she couldn't see his blush.

"Thanks." She laughed quietly, digging out a small package herself.

"I guess we kind of had the same idea." Together they opened the presents. Harm had found a silversmith in town that would engrave anything you wanted and had him engrave two matching conchos with an airplane. Mac had found him a beautiful leather-bound journal with dueling mustangs embossed on the cover.

"Wow, thank you!" Mac grinned so widely Harm could see her teeth even in the dark.

"You're welcome, and thank you." He smiled at her and she leaned over to hug him. As she drew back, their eyes met and without any actual thought, they kissed. It was soft, innocent and brief. Harm sat back, not entirely sure how it had happened. "I, uh, I'm sorry . . ."

He could just see her soft smile. "It's ok, it was a pretty mutual thing. Besides, you'd know if I hadn't liked it." He nodded, relieved. He knew plenty of girls back at home, but Mac was the first girl he'd really been friend friends with. He didn't want to ruin that with his teenage hormones. But her smile put him at ease. "I'm gonna miss having you around."

"Yeah, it's been pretty fun. Maybe if you have a chance you can visit La Jolla or Annapolis sometime."

Mac laughed, "If I do it'll be the first time I've been out of the Four Corner's area."

"Well, try --"

"Harmon?" They turned toward the call. It was his mother and he sighed. They scrambled to their feet.

"Coming, Mom." He turned back to Mac. "Sorry. I guess it's about time to head in."

"Yeah."

"We're leaving tomorrow morning, after breakfast."

"I -- I have to work." She looked away. "I guess, goodbye?"

"Yeah, I guess. Goodbye, Mac." He wrapped her in a bear hug that almost lifted her off her feet and she laughed. Then his mom called again and he set her down, turning to go.

"Goodbye, Harm." She stayed in the dark as he walked off. She wasn't ready to head back into company yet.

@>\---\\---,-----

An hour after breakfast the next morning, his mom and Frank were ready to go. Harm lugged his duffle out to the car and looked around the yard. He didn't see Mac around. He'd kind of hoped she try to see him off, but he knew they'd said their goodbyes the night before.

Sighing, he threw his bag in the trunk and climbed in the back seat. As the car rolled down the drive toward the main road, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep. He didn't see Mac, mounted on Tiny, watching as they drove away.

The End?


End file.
